Will govt seek forgiveness for past bulldozer actions: Akhilesh cites SC observation to target UP CM
Lucknow (PTI) Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday sought to corner Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath by citing a Supreme Court observation, and asked whether the state government would now seek forgiveness for razing houses using bulldozers.
Currently engaged in an exchange of barbs with the chief minister over the use of bulldozers, the Lok Sabha MP said the Supreme Court has observed that the 'bulldozer action' is not constitutional.
"As far as the bulldozer is concerned, think what kind of bulldozer has been run by the court that now the bulldozer cannot run. Those who used to scare people with bulldozers, used to demolish people's houses at various places... This means that you deliberately ran the bulldozer to humiliate those you wanted to take revenge against and because of arrogance of power. Now, the result is that from the high court to the Supreme Court, it can be said that the bulldozer is not constitutional but unconstitutional," Yadav told reporters here.
"The Supreme Court only yesterday said that now the bulldozer cannot run, so will the government apologize for the bulldozer that was running till now?" the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said.
On Adityanath's retort that it takes "heart and mind" and "bulldozer-like capacity" to run a bulldozer, Yadav said a bulldozer does not have a brain, "but has a steering".
"Who knows when the people of Uttar Pradesh will change someone's steering or when the people of Delhi will change someone's steering," he said, in a lighter note.
Yadav had on Tuesday said that the direction of the bulldozers would be turned towards Gorakhpur - Adityanath's home district - after 2027, if the SP forms its government in the state.
Further speaking to reporters at SP's Vikramaditya Marg office here, Yadav said since the results of the Lok Sabha elections, neither the chief minister has been able to sleep in peace nor has he allowed his officers to.
On the Adityanath's apparent remark about 'chacha-bhatija' (Yadav and his uncle Shivpal Yadav) reign of "terror" in Uttar Pradesh prior to 2017, the SP chief said, "Do not get confused, do not believe it at all because I know that newspapers and media are also a bit biased'¦ As far as the mafia is concerned, take out the old records and see, was anyone else also called mafia?"
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Mamata asks TMC nominees not to leave counting centres as EC data shows BJP leading
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday urged TMC candidates and agents to remain vigilant and not to leave counting centres, alleging that there was a "game plan" by the BJP and the Election Commission to show the saffron party taking a lead in the early trends of counting.
In a video message issued during the counting of votes, the TMC supremo appealed to party workers to stay put and not to lose morale.
"I appeal to everyone that neither TMC candidates nor counting agents should abandon counting centres," she said.
As trends on the Election Commission website indicated the BJP leading in 188 seats against the TMC's 94, Banerjee maintained that her party was still ahead in a significant number of constituencies.
"We are still ahead in 170 seats, but I request everyone not to lose hope," she said, adding that there were "around 70 to 100 seats where we are leading, but they are not sharing the data of those seats".
"A false narrative is being spread," she alleged.
The chief minister accused the Election Commission of "not declaring results or leads" in areas where the TMC was ahead.
"This is a game plan by the EC and the BJP as it (poll panel) is not declaring results or leads in areas where we are leading," she said.
Banerjee also alleged irregularities in the counting process at some locations.
"In several places, counting has been stopped after the first two to three rounds. In Kalyani, we have caught seven machines with severe anomalies," she claimed.
She further alleged that TMC workers were being "harassed with the help of central forces" and that party offices were being "vandalised and forcefully captured".
"With the help of central forces, they are harassing and torturing AITC workers. Our offices have been vandalised," she said, also alleging that voter list revision exercises were "purposefully done to target seats where we were strong".
Seeking to reassure party workers, Banerjee said more rounds of counting were yet to take place and urged them to stay firm.
"Fourteen to eighteen rounds of counting will happen. You will surely emerge victorious. Don't be afraid; fight like tigers," she said.
Her remarks came as counting trends suggested that the BJP was leading in 188 seats and had crossed the halfway mark of 148 in the 294-member assembly, pointing to a potential shift in the state's political landscape.
Counting for 293 constituencies was underway with postal ballots, followed by EVM votes.
Officials cautioned that trends could change as more rounds are counted, and final results would be known later in the day.
জরুরি বার্তা pic.twitter.com/Uc82oihwEL
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) May 4, 2026
